# Chapter 6: The Breaking Point
The truth had finally shattered the glass house that Nicole had been living in for three years. Yvette's voice rang through the Ferguson mansion like a battle cry, each word dripping with fury and contempt.
"How did you put up with this for three years?!" Yvette's laughter was bitter, her eyes blazing as she stepped forward and shoved Quinn. The older woman stumbled backward, her face contorting with shock and rage. "If it wasn't for Nicole, I wouldn't have even heard of the Fergusons! You're just nouveau riche with your measly money!"
Quinn's face turned purple. Her finger trembled as she pointed at both women. "You... you... Nicole, I'll kick you out of the Ferguson family!"
But something was different. The Nicole who would have groveled and apologized was gone. In her place stood a woman with eyes as cold as winter steel.
"There's no need for you to kick me out," Nicole said, her voice flat and emotionless. "I'll take my own things and leave."
She didn't wait for Quinn's response. She walked upstairs to her bedroom, her steps measured and deliberate. As she passed through the halls she had walked for three years, memories flashed through her mind—every time she had swallowed her pride, every insult she had endured, every shred of dignity she had surrendered for a man who never truly loved her.
*How stupid I was*, she thought, opening the drawer and retrieving her documents. *How utterly blind*.
She took nothing else. Not the jewelry, not the designer bags, not the lavish gifts that had never really been hers to begin with. Only her identification papers, her birth certificate, the few things that truly belonged to *her*.
Downstairs, Yvette and Quinn continued their verbal war, daggers shooting from both sides. When Yvette saw Nicole descending the stairs with empty hands but a light step, she raised an eyebrow. "You ready?"
Nicole nodded. "Let's go."
But Quinn wasn't done. "Nicole, I'll tell Eric what happened today! Don't think you can just leave and come back as you please. Even if you come crying and begging on your knees, I'll still kick you out!"
Nicole stopped. For a moment, silence hung in the air. Then she turned slowly, a smirk curling her lips. The look in her eyes made Quinn freeze.
"I forgot to tell you," Nicole said, each word precise and cutting. "I've already divorced Eric Ferguson. Even if *you* come crying and begging on your knees, I will never step into this house again."
She walked out without looking back, and with every step, the weight of three miserable years fell away from her shoulders.
Quinn stood frozen, the words echoing in her mind. *Divorce? She actually left my son?* The audacity! She fumbled for her phone, dialing frantically. "Eric, did you and Nicole get a divorce?"
Eric's voice was tight. "How do you know? You saw her?"
"You're really divorced?! That's great!" Quinn's voice dripped with vindictive satisfaction. "This kind of woman is not worthy of being part of our family. She's just a pheasant trying to become a phoenix. I couldn't stand her from the beginning! There are so many high-born ladies waiting to marry you—"
"Where is she?" Eric cut her off, his voice suddenly urgent.
He had been searching for Nicole ever since she disappeared from the hospital. The mysterious woman who had saved him... and then vanished. But now, she had surfaced.
"At Imperial Gardens, of course, but she left. This reminds me, I have to check if she stole anything. You didn't give her too much money for the divorce, right?"
"She didn't ask for a penny." Eric's eyes darkened. The malice in his mother's voice surprised him. He had always assumed Nicole and his family got along. Now he realized he had never truly paid attention.
"At least she's self-aware!" Quinn snorted coldly.
Eric hung up, irritation burning in his chest. *Did she ask for the divorce because of my mother?*
He drove back to the house—a place he barely visited anymore. The bedroom was exactly as it had always been. Her clothes still hung in the closet. The card he had given her for monthly expenses sat untouched on the dresser.
But the drawer that held her documents was empty.
A strange tightness gripped his chest. For three years, she had been a constant presence—quiet, devoted, always there. He had taken her for granted. He had never stopped to wonder if she was happy.
The necklace. The 'Daydream' worth ten million dollars. Quinn stormed into the room, her face red with fury. "It's missing! Nicole must have stolen it! I'm calling the police!"
Eric frowned. "Don't call the police. It's not her. You probably misplaced it."
But as he said it, a troubling thought surfaced. He had never given Nicole the code to the safe. She had never asked for jewelry, never demanded anything.
*Just how much had he given her in three years?*
He grabbed his car keys and left, ignoring Quinn's protests. Outside, he lit a cigarette and sat in the driver's seat, smoke curling into the night air. The unease in his heart refused to fade.
*Where are you, Nicole?*
But Quinn was not finished. She had other ways to make that lowly woman pay. Without a prestigious family backing her, Nicole was just a target. And Quinn knew exactly how to destroy someone who had no protection.
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## Reader's Impressions & Star Rating
This chapter is an absolutely cathartic turning point. Watching Nicole finally shed her submissive skin and stand up for herself is deeply satisfying. The scene where she tells Quinn she *already* divorced Eric, and that she would never return even if Quinn begged, gave me chills. It's the moment the butterfly finally breaks free of her cocoon. Meanwhile, Eric's sudden urgency to find her feels too little, too late—but it's delicious to watch him realize what he lost. Quinn is a vicious villain, and her threat at the end promises more drama to come. The emotional resonance is powerful; this is the chapter where Nicole reclaims her worth.
**⭐ Rating: 4.9 / 5 Stars**
A masterful chapter of empowerment and poetic justice.
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## Next Chapter Prediction
Nicole has walked away from the Fergusons, but Quinn's malice will not let her rest. Expect Nicole to face Quinn's behind-the-scenes machinations—perhaps slander, blacklisting, or attempts to strip her of any remaining support. But with Yvette by her side and the truth of her identity as a billionaire heiress looming, the tables are about to turn. Eric, meanwhile, will grow increasingly obsessed with finding her. Will he stumble upon the secret she's been hiding? And when Quinn's attacks escalate, will Nicole reveal her true power and crush the Fergusons once and for all? The storm is coming—and Nicole is no longer the victim.